Outskirts of Panem
by pookieortega
Summary: *New and improved* After Katniss blows up the arena, her and Peeta escape. Only now they have to make their way home without knowing where they are or who's coming after them. *RATING CHANGE*
1. Chapter 1

A/N so I wrote this story before but it had a lot of grammatical errors and was very choppy. But I love the idea behind it so I decided to completely start over with it and make a new and better version of it. This one will probably follow small parts of the old story but for the most part it is going to be completely new.

Katniss pov

"I'll see you at midnight," I say and press a kiss against his lips, and throw all of my passion into it.

"Midnight,"he says softly.

Johanna and I take the coil and unroll it down the hill. That's when she hits me over the head with it knocking me down on my back. I groan in pain and she covers my mouth.

"Be quiet,"she says and then I feel a sharp pain in my arm. Why is she doing this to me? I try to struggle but she holds me down.

"Stay down and don't move!" She says and then takes off. I want to move but I just can't. That's when I hear movement.

"Keep going, she's dead!"I hear from Brutus. Him and Enobaria run past me and finally I move. I have to find Peeta! I get up and I start to run towards the tree screaming for Peeta. I don't care who hears.

"Katniss!"I hear Finnick scream.

Where's Peeta! Why isn't he With him? I reach for my arrow and point it at Finnick. He sees me and his hand goes out in defense. "Katniss,"he says warningly,"remember who the real enemy is."

That statement changes everything. Why am I pointing this arrow at Finnick? Snow is the real enemy. I hear the thunder start to roll and the sky begins to light up. I wrap the wire around the arrow and that's when I hear Finnick yell again.

"Katniss, get away from that tree!"

I scream and shoot the arrow into the sky as the lightning strikes. I'm flown into the air and I land with a thud. I groan in pain and watch in a confused state as the arena starts to fall apart.

I glance over to see a hole in the wall of the arena.

Gotta find Peeta.

Forcing myself up, I grab onto a branch. My voice is weak as I scream for Peeta. I'm just about to drop to the ground when I see his blonde hair. I try to call out to him but my voice isn't going. I stumble across the branches and fall to the ground. The noise of me falling catches his attention.

Peeta runs over to me screaming my name. "Katniss!" He says as he falls to the floor by me. "I thought I'd never find you!" He says.

"We need to go,"I whisper,"I found a way out."

He helps me to my feet but as soon as I let go I almost fall over so he holds onto me. "What happened to you?"He asks.

"I shot an arrow with the coil and it broke the arena."I say.

"Oh my God, Katniss. Are you okay,"he asks.

"Fine, we just need to get out of here,"I say.

Peeta sweeps me off my feet and runs in the direction that I pointed to. More pieces of the roof falls as he runs, shaking the ground. We see hovercrafts fly over right as we are getting through the hole.

He sets me down on the floor and the freezes. "Whoa why are you bleeding?" He asks concerned.

"Johanna... Oh! She must have cut my tracker out!" I say. "Give me your arm."

"Please make it quick,"he says.

I take the knife and grab his arm. "I'm sorry,"I say right before I cut into his arm and pull out his tracker. He bites back his screams and tries to hold his own arm down. My arm has stopped bleeding badly by now. I rip off a piece of his jumpsuit and use it as a bandage.

He takes the tracker and throws it in the opposite direction. Then he grabs a piece of my jumpsuit and wraps it around my arm. "You don't want to get an infection,"he says.

We walk for miles in the tree line and watch as the hovercraft flies away. I'm guessing towards the capitol. Then we see another take off in the other direction. This strikes me as strange.

"Wait why did that one go a different direction?" I ask.

"Maybe they're searching for us. I mean where else do they expect us to go?"He says.

"Yeah, probably."I say.

"So which way should we go?"He asks.

"I guess towards home."I say.

"I wish we knew where we were..."

"My guess is that we are by the capitol. It didn't take long for us to get to the arena... And I remember from class that the arena they use is near the capitol in the wilderness. I guess we should head East, towards home."

"Okay, how do we know which way that is?" He asks.

"Well, I remember my father telling me that the mountains are always north. He use to tell me this saying...Never Eat Soggy Waffles."

"What? Oh course not!"

"No, it stands for North East South West. It helps you remember."I say.

Peeta nods and says,"okay. Well I see mountains that direction so I guess we'll go that way."

He helps me for hours until we finally collapse. It's getting dark and a little cold. "We should rest, Peeta,"I say.

"How's your arm?"

"Fine. How's yours?" I ask.

"It's fine."

I take a seat on the floor and shiver. Peeta notices and makes his way over to me. He wraps his arms around me and says,"Katniss, it's going to be okay."

"Stay with me?" I ask.

"Always,"he says and presses a kiss to my lips.

"Peeta,"I say.

"I'm sorry,"he says,"I know it was an act but I just had to."

"Don't be sorry, Peeta,"I say,"it's not an act. I really care about you." Then I lean in and kiss him once more.


	2. Chapter 2

Katniss pov

I wake up shivering. Peeta is also shivering in the cold. Forget about infection, if we don't find warmer clothes we're going to freeze to death out here. I curl up closer to Peeta and he wraps his arms around me. This reminds me of our first games, when we were freezing in the cave.

"K-katnissss are you c-cold t-too?"He asks.

"Y-yesss,"I say shivering.

"I'll make a fire,"he says sitting up. I instantly feel colder as he moves away from me. He stands up and searches for wood. After a few minutes he comes back with logs and some sticks to start it.

After a few attempts he grunts and says,"I can't get this started!"

"Here, let me help,"I say getting up,"do you see any dry grass or weeds around? Something that can catch on fire easily?"

"Uh...Oh here!"He says bringing me some dry grass. I take it and place it on and in the pile of wood. I take the two sticks and start to rub them. I feel the wood splinter into my hand but it's nothing now because I have years of practice. I'm use to the pain.

"Blow on the pile very softly. Enough to get it going but not too much that you'll put the spark out."

Soon we have a spark, and with the proper care, it turned into a fire. "Whoa! How'd you do that so fast?"

"Years of practice. We didn't have a lot of materials for fire, and when we ran out, we had to do it this way. Plus when I went to my father's cabin out in the forest I has to do it this way."

"You're good at turning a spark into an inferno." He laughs.

"I am the girl on fire, after all,"I counter.

"Come here,"he says pulling me closer to him. We curl up next to the fire together and end up falling asleep. When I wake up the fire has become embers. Peeta is still asleep. I press a kiss to his forehead and remake the fire to keep him warm.

Then I grab my bow and arrow and search for something to eat. I go into my hunting mode. I sneak around quietly so I don't scare off any possible prey. I pick up leaves to mask my scent and crumble them into the breeze.

I hear a rustling in the bushes, so I turn my arrow towards the noise. Out hops a little rabbit. I'm about to let go when something scares it off. I turn around to find Peeta standing behind me.

"God damn it, Peeta! I almost had food for us!"

His eyes grow wide and he looks so innocent as he says,"I'm so sorry! I woke up and I panicked because you were gone."

How can I be mad when he looks at me like a hurt puppy.

I sigh and walk over to him. "Come here, Peeta." He walks over slowly, almost afraid. I wrap my arms around him and say,"Sorry I snapped. I'm just hungry." What the hell happened to me? I used to go days hungry. Being a Victor has spoiled me. This use to be like nothing.

"Why don't you go pick some berries why I hunt. Don't eat any until we can identify them."

He nods and says,"I saw a raspberry bush, I think."

"Okay, I'm going to try to hunt for some meat."I say and he nods.

"See you soon?" He asks. His words remind me of when we split at the tree. I stride over to him and pull his lips to mine.

"Yes,"I say after pulling apart. He looks at me a little stunned and then smiles. He presses on last kiss to my lips and then walks away. I smile as I watch him walk. Then I try to focus on catching that rabbit. But all my mind can think of are those lips.

I lost the rabbit and there doesn't seem to be any other animals for me to catch. I'll have to settle on a bird. They're small, but meat is meat and we'll be lucky to get anything at this point.

* * *

With my bow in one hand and two birds in the other I walk back to our "camp site" where I find Peeta making a pile of berries.

I examine them and he's right, they are raspberries. "It's not much but at least it's something,"I say holding up the birds.

"They're perfect, Katniss,"he says smiling at me,"we'll have to remake the fire though."

I set the birds down and pick up a berry. "Good. These are edible."

"My dad used to make the best raspberry tart. He would always have me pick the raspberries from our backyard. He was lucky to trade for the bush. It was hard to find good raspberries at that time. And he was good at tending to them. He could never seem to get the strawberries to grow though."

"I would trade strawberries with him and Madge. He was always very kind to me."I say as I skin the birds.

"You always had a special spot in his heart. One night, after our tour, I talked to him. And he came clean to me about you. He told me about him and your mom. And he told me that he hated to see you and Prim starve. He hated to see any child starve, but especially you two. He told me that he thought you guys were sweet and deserved better. Dad always knew about my crush on you. And he he would tell me that I should talk to you but I was always afraid. And that night, he told me he was glad I found a little bit of happiness with you in this horrible world."

"I just don't understand how someone so nice like your father ends up with someone like your mother?" I sigh.

"I never understood it either,"he says shrugging.

We roast the birds over the fire and eat them along with some berries. Peeta uses the container from the parachute to store the berries as we move east.

After a while of walking Peeta says,"we should probably find some water."

"Yeah, you're right... I doubt these trees are filled with water like the ones in the arena. These look like redwoods. They most likely have sap in them."

"Hmm...maybe we could climb a tree and look for a lake or river?" He suggests.

"Hold this,"I say handing him my bow before I climb the tree as high as I can. The vegetation is thick and its hard to see which doesn't help me at all. However it's quieter up here.

Relying on my hearing, I try to listen for the sound of water. And that's when I hear the faint sound of a river. It's really low and I'm not even sure if it's a river I'm hearing, but it's enough for us to give it a try.

When I reach the ground again I tell Peeta about what I heard and he agrees with me. So we set out in the direction of the noise in hope of water.


	3. Chapter 3

Katniss pov

It takes a few hours to get near the water we're looking for, but we end up finding it. Only there's one problem. It's inside a district. I look at Peeta worried. "What do we do?" He asks.

"If we don't get water, we'll die." I say.

"If we go in, we could get caught. I'd much rather die with you than be caught by snow."

"Where do you think we are?"

"Judging by the trees, I would say district 7."

"I think you're right." I say glancing at the tall red wood trees. Peeta takes my hand and holds me to him.

"In case we get caught,"he says before pulling me in for a passionate kiss,"I love you. I always will."

"Peeta-"

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything back. I just want you to know." He says softly as he caresses my face. I lean in and kiss him one more time.

"We need to stay hidden."

We follow along the fence. I throw a Rick at it, seeing if it is electrified. It is, but it's very weak. "If we could just disrupt it, we could get inside."

"The wire is weak. If we threw a big rock, it could easily break or even HD it down enough for us to crawl through."

He runs over to a huge rock and lifts it. His strength never ceases to amaze me. He throws it at the fence causing the wires to bend. He smiles in triumph. He helps me over the fence, then jumps over himself.

We rush over to the stream on the other side. The water looks clean and we don't give it any second thought. I didn't realize how thirsty I was until I took my first sip. The noise of running pulls me out of my distraction.

"Peeta, someone's coming."

"What?" He asks.

I take his hand and lead him to a tree. "I can't climb. Not with my leg."

"Go. Katniss, climb!" He says frantically.

"What about you?" I ask.

"I'll find a place. Please we don't have much time."

I kiss him before climbing up the tree. Peeta crouches behind some bushes. I watch as three people run over here. Two boys and one girl, all dressed in lumber clothes.

"Aspen, we lost the peacekeepers. I think we're safe." The girl says.

"Hayden, we can't be careless. We'll never make it out of this blasted district. We have to make it to the rebels."

"Blake is right,"says the one they call Aspen.

He's a tall boy. Sort of reminds me of Gale. Same build. Same hair color and eye color. It he has a beard. Blake is also tall, only he isn't as broad and his hair is light. Hayden is also tall like the boys. Her eyes are dark like Blake's, but her hair is like Aspen.

Aspen and Hayden look like they are related.

"I suppose now would be the time to rest. We've been running for a long time." Aspen says after a second thought.

"How do we know if it's even there?"

"We don't."

"Here, have a cracker,"she says pulling out some crackers. She hands one to the boy and he thanks her. I catch a glimpse at the cracker. There's the mockingjay symbol on them. They're like the ones that Bonnie and Twill had.

They are rebels. They're going where we need to be.

"I heard they took the rebel victors to thirteen. The survivors of the quell." Blake says.

"Not all of them... I heard that Snow captured four of them." Aspen says sadly.

"Who?" He asks his friend.

"Johanna Mason, Annie Cresta, And the star crossed lover's."

"He captured the Mockingjay? What the hell are we supposed to do now?!" Sighs Hayden.

"We still have to make it to thirteen. There's still a rebellion going on."

"You guys are rebels,"Peeta says walking out of the bushes.

"Are you-"Aspen says in shock.

"Are you guys rebels?"He asks again, firmer this time.

"Yes!" Hayden says,"were rebels going to thirteen!"

"Shut up, Hayden!" The boys say.

"It's Peeta Mellark! He's obviously a rebel! There's nothing to hide."

That's when I drop down from the tree.

"Katniss Everdeen!" The three say.

I walk over to Peeta's side.

"I thought they captured you,"Blake says.

"We escaped,"Peeta says,"we're heading to thirteen. We have to get to the others. But it's harsh out there. We need clothes and supplies. All we have are what we had on us in the arena."

"Hayden, Blake, come here,"Aspen says pulling them aside.

The three of them whisper among themselves. Then they finally turn to us and say,"okay, we'll help you, but only if you help us."

Peeta nods,"of course. We would love to help fellow rebels."

Peeta, he's so kind. So selfless.

"We need your help to get to thirteen. We're not to great at surviving. But we need to get out of here. It's not safe."

"Well, lucky for you, Katniss has been surviving all her life. She's the best to learn from."

"We need warmer clothes. We'll never survive out there wearing these,"I say motioning to our wetsuits.

"I know where we can get more, but we'll have to sneak in." Says Hayden.

We follow them to a warehouse a mile away.

"This is the lumberjack warehouse. It's where they keep all the workers clothes. It can be really harsh out here, so there's plenty of warm clothes. It's locked up but my brother and I found a way in when we were young and freezing."

"This way,"Aspen says leading us around the back. He feels around the wooden boards until he finds the loose board.

"Through here."He says opening it up.

Peeta and I follow him inside. We creep around until we find the crate with clothes. Peeta finds a warm flannel and some jeans and boots. Most of the men here are around his size.

However, many of the women and bit more built. The pants fit fine but the flannel is a little loose and so is the undershirt. It's nothing new though. I've always worn bigger clothes. I grew up too skinny for the smallest clothes.

We find a backpack and throw an extra pair of clothes in it. The other's follow along with what we do and do the same.

"Hey, look at this,"Peeta says picking up an axe.

"We already have two."Aspen says,"we're pretty talented with an axe."

"So is our friend, Johanna." Peeta says.

"Who do you think I learned from?"

"You learned from Johanna?" I ask.

"Of course. She was our mother's mentor. Before she died in the games, she asked her to teach us to fight. Just in case."

"I'm sorry about your mother,"Peeta says.

"I'm sorry for you. I mean two games?!" Hayden says.

"I mean it's not as bad as it seems...all I have to do is think about one pretty face, and everything is all better."

"Oh that is really romantic."

I don't like how she's all over him. The way she looks at him.

Peeta blushes a little and walks over to me. He wraps his arms around me and then presses a soft kiss to my lips.

I smile at him and feel my jealousy disappear.

"We should get going,"Blake says.

We follow him out and back to the fence.

"10 miles east is district 5, we can follow the outskirts of it between 10 to district 9, then 2 and 6 till we reach 13." Blake says.

"Well, in that case we should get going,"Peeta says.


	4. Chapter 4

Katniss pov

We arrive at the outskirt of district 5. "We should rest,"Peeta says. I nod and take a seat next to him. He wraps an arm around me and I lean against him, exhausted.

"Being a Victor has made this a little harder." I say.

"What do you mean?"Aspen asks.

"Well, growing up, I was extremely poor. My dad was a coal miner, so we didn't have a lot of money or food. We use to hunt for our food. We'd sneak off to the woods to hunt." I look up to find everyone sitting down and listening intently.

"Well, he died in a mining explosion, which made life really hard for my sister and I. My mom went into a depression, so I had to support my sister and I. I met my friend Gale, who's father died the same time my dad did. We would hunt together."

"After I became a Victor, I didn't have to worry about food. I knew when my meals were going to be. And I didn't have to worry about money. But I would still hunt to support the district. And to stay strong. My sister wasn't starving anymore which was all I ever wanted, but I had changed."

Peeta takes my hand.

"My life changed after that. Some things good,"I say smiling at Peeta,"and some bad. Like the fact that I was different from everyone, except for Peeta. He understood what I was going through."

"I was finally living the luxurious life, but it made surviving harder. It made me reliant on other things."

I look into Peeta's eyes,"it made me need other things."I say.

He smiles at me, locked in my gaze. And we sit in silence for a while. Finally Aspen speaks up. "I can relate to your past. We all can." He says sympathetically.

"Our mother was young when she had us. She was sixteen when she had Hayden and I, and seventeen when she had Blake. We were only two years old when she was reaped. Our father left us when she died. He jumped out of a tree, committing suicide. So we lived with our aunt and grandmother. When our mother was training she had begged Johanna to watch over us and to train us to be fighters. Her sister was very innocent when it came to fighting so she knew that if she died, we would have no hope of surviving if we were ever reaped."

"So Johanna trained us,"Hayden said,"she practically raised us,"we were poor because we were living off my grandmother and my aunt who also had 6 children. Johanna would help with food anytime she saw us. She cared for us. But she couldn't adopt us. There were too many risks. We would see her in private. She told us that if snow ever knew that she cared for us, we would be done for."

"Snow killed all of her loved ones,"I say softly

"Yeah, how'd you, know?" Blake asks.

"We talked a little about it...plus Snow threatened me with it too. He told me he'd kill all the ones I love. He threatened my sister,"I say sadly.

"You really care about your sister, huh?" He says.

"More than anything."

"It's hard not to love Prim,"Peeta says with a smile.

"He's right,"Aspen says,"the whole world fell in love with our sister. She's a real sweetheart."

Sweetheart.

I wonder what Haymitch is doing? I hope he's safe. If anyone knows me well, it's Haymitch, and I fear that Snow might have taken him. Peeta senses my tension and places a hand on my knee.

"Katniss?" Peeta says and I look up to find them all watching me.

"Sorry...It's just when you said Sweetheart, it reminded me of my mentor. He calls me Sweetheart. I'm a worried for the old man."

"You shouldn't be worried. If anyone knew what to do when that arena blew up, it would be Haymitch. Even as drunk as he may seem."

His words say one thing but his eyes show worry. He's just as worried as I am. But I nod anyway.

"We heard Johanna got captured by Snow. So did Annie Cresta,"Hayden says resting her elbows on her knees.

I close my eyes and grab Peeta tightly,"that's horrible...They don't deserve that. And Annie...She doesn't have the mentality to withstand more torture..."

"It's awful...two games, being sold for sex, and now torture...Johanna can't stand much more."

"I hope she holds out long enough to be saved." Hayden says sadly.

We all agree.

Peeta stands and clears his throat. "I'm going to see what I can gather."

"I'll go with you,"Hayden says.

Jealousy rises in me. I don't know why I'm so jealous over this girl. I mean she's beautiful but Peeta wouldn't look at any other girl. And it's not like I'm with Peeta...who am I kidding, we're practically together.

"Okay,"he says oblivious to the way she's looking at him.

They're about to leave but I place my hand on his shoulder, stopping him. He turns around and I wrap my arms around his neck as I pull him into a mind blowing kiss. When we open our eyes, I look into his beautiful blue orbs and I say,"please be careful, Peeta."

"Of course,"he says then smiles,"aren't I always?"

"No," I say laughing.

"I guess you're right,"he says as he slowly releases me. "How about, you do some hunting and we'll meet up back here?"

"Okay,"I say.

Blake and Aspen go hunting with me. Aspen is quite good, but Blake could use some work. He's a little like Peeta. He's so tall that he's not exactly stealthy. So I teach him. And by the end of the night we have caught three decent size birds. Enough to ration a little between us.

And Peeta and Hayden found some nonpoisonous berries.

After we eat, we gathering around the fire we made, and try to sleep. Peeta holds me in his warm arms until I slowly drift away from reality into a peaceful dream.


	5. Chapter 5

Haymitch pov

I wake up and stumble out of bed with a horrible head ache. I'm not use to this whole sober thing. At least the coffee helps. I have the radio on as I quickly dress. It keeps me informed about what's going on inside and out of district thirteen.

"News today: President Coin has called for a meeting with all of the citizens of district thirteen tonight. Victors Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are still missing and are thought not to return. World News: District Two's hospital has been bombed."

My alarm goes off. I'm late for my meeting with Coin. She can wait.

I find my cup of coffee and walk out of my compartment.

When I arrive at the conference room, they've already started.

"-It's useless to send our hovercraft out to find them. It's a waste of time and money. We need to focus and sending troops not search parties." Coin says.

"No." I say barging in.

"Haymitch. Nice of you to finally join us."

I take a seat and say,"listen up. We need to send out a search party."

"It is no use-"

"Listen to yourself. You're pronouncing them dead before we even have a chance to search. Do you realize how important these two people are? Katniss is a symbol of hope and Peeta is a symbol of peace. Get them together and you have enough motivation to win the war. Katniss is the one and true mockingjay. You can't just leave them out there."

"Like you did?"

Oooh that one stung.

"Yes. Like I did. Do you know why I chose to save Katniss her first games?"

"Why?" Gale asks speaking up for the first time.

"Because I saw something in her. I saw determination. I saw fire. I saw love for her sister. A leader. A warrior. A fighter. And yes she may be a pain in my ass, but it's worth saving her."

"And the boy?"

"The boy. He's better than all of us combined. He deserves to live. That boy is the only truly good Victor. Victors don't get to be victors because they're good people. Hell most of us don't even deserve to live. But he is. And the most important thing, she needs him."

"What?" Gale asks. This boy may be a good fighter but he's as dunce as a block.

"She may deny it but we all see it. She needs him. She can't live without him. She loves him."

"She is not." Gale says.

"Are you blind or just stupid?" I ask him.

"What?"

"Oh so you're deaf too?" I ask.

"Haymitch sit down and quit harassing the boy."

"Sorry this whole no alcohol thing is hard on him,"I hear someone say.

"I think Haymitch does have a point,"Plutarch says.

"And why is that?" Coin asks.

"Well, he made good points. Katniss is the spark that we need for the rebels. And Peeta is the hope for peace. We need them both."

"Okay we'll vote on it,"Coin says.

Everyone but her votes to save them. "Then it's agreed," she says,"we'll send search parties starting tomorrow. You are dismissed."

Outside of the room Gale stops me.

"Haymitch, can I speak to you?"

"You've got a voice, don't you?"

"In private." He says irritated.

"Fine."

He leads me to his compartment which isn't far from there.

"So what do you want?" I ask.

"I want to talk about Katniss."

"What about her?" I know where this is going.

"Is it true?"He asks not looking at me as he sits down in a chair next to a small table.

"Is what true?"

"I've heard some talk from some of the make up team and Effie... I didn't want to believe it but I just couldn't help but wonder..."He trails off.

I'm silent.

He looks like he's about to break down. His back is arched over and he is resting his elbows on his knees. His hands are clasped. "Please, Haymitch. I need to know." He pleads. Normally i wouldn't break down so easily but i think my lack of alcohol is making me sympathetic. Ugh I hate this.

"What do you want to know?"

"Are the rumors true?"

"Boy, I haven't exactly had time to listen to the rumor mill. In case you forgot, I have two victors missing and two captured." I say irritated with his stupidity.

"There's a rumor... about them sleeping together on the train."

"Well, yeah, he'd hold her some nights because of nightmares-"

"You know that's not what I mean."

I know exactly what he's talking about. Hell the images are still burning in my brain.

 _It's about midnight, however Effie and I sit in the bar car. She sips her glass of wine while I chug my whisky. "You really should slow down on the whisky there, Haymitch." She nags me._

 _"Hey, I don't tell you how to do your makeup. Don't tell me how to drink my whisky."_

 _"Fair enough. It's not my liver you're killing." She states before sipping her wine._

 _That's when we hear a scream come from the hall next to us. That's the fifth time tonight. She really must be having a hard time tonight. I don't blame them. We all have our nightmares. And tomorrow they go into the arena for the second time._

 _"Maybe we should go check on them." Effie says._

 _"Leave the poor-" but she's already up and halfway down the hall._

 _As we draw near, we start to hear other noises. It must be pretty bad tonight._

 _"Effie, just let them be." But she's already opening the door._

 _She freezes in the doorway, a horrified look on her face._

 _"What is-" I freeze when I see what she is looking at._

 _Katniss lays on the bed with Peeta hovering over her. They're both naked and sweaty and she moans and screams as he thrusts into her. He moans her name as he goes faster._

 _When I snap out of my surprised faze, I quickly close the door and grab a still frozen Effie by her shoulders. I lead her into my compartment and sit her down._

 _"They're just children!" She says._

 _"Children who have been through hell and back."_

 _"They don't know what they're getting into."_

 _"Effie, I don't like it just as much as you, but God damn it, woman, give them some space. Loosen your corset a bit. They could die in that arena, tomorrow. This could be the last bit of pleasure they get. Tomorrow they go back into that hell. They deserve some peace."_

 _"Well then...I'm just going to go to my room." She says as she gets up. She's still a little distraught. I watch as she grabs a bottle of liquor._

 _"What are-"_

 _"If I'm going to survive the night, i'll need this."_

Gale looks at me expectingly.

"I just know of one night. I walked in on something I wasn't supposed to see. But it is none of my business. And it's none of yours."

"Thanks,"he says solemnly.

"Listen, I know you care for her, but you need to realize that she's changed. The only person who truly understands her is Peeta. I have similar experiences, but I wasn't in that arena with her. Peeta was. And she's always going to turn to him for comfort. I just hope that for your own sake, you can get that into your head." With that, I walk out of the room and onto my next duties.


	6. Chapter 6

Katniss Pov

Peeta holds me as we keep watch. I sit between his legs, my bow in my hands. I rest against his chest. He rests his head on my shoulder and then kisses my jaw. Then he moves down to the spot where my jaw meets my neck but I shy away.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"How can you be so relaxed right now? We may be out of the arena but we're still in the games. We don't know who's out there. I can't let my guard down. Especially not after the force field."

Peeta kisses my neck and says,"relax a little..."

"Peeta, not now. It's unnecessary."I think he takes my words wrong though because he pulls away and stands up.

"It's okay... I get it. We're not being watched anymore. It's okay, I'll give you space." He starts to walk away.

"Peeta, wait! I don't mean it like that."

"I'm going to do a circle around." He says. Not meeting my eyes.

I know I've really hurt him.

I really don't mean it in that way. I really do care about him. When I thought he died I didn't know what to do with myself. And it scared me not only because I thought I lost him, but because of how much I really cared for him.

You don't know what you have until it's gone.

He returns after a while.

When he sits back down next to me, he's silent. He doesn't look at me.

"Peeta, please listen to me."I say.

He closes his eyes and doesn't say anything.

"I didn't mean it in that way... I just think that we need to be focused on surviving right now. As much as I want to spend my time making out with you in the forest, my survival instincts have kicked in. All I'm focused on is keeping you alive and getting us home."

He sighs. "I know you're trying to keep us alive, Katniss. I just need to know if it was real?"

"If what's real?"

"Those nights on the train. The kissing...bearing our souls...was it all real? Or just an act?"

I know I need to tell him the truth. "At first, I was being selfish. I would run to your room so you could chase the nightmares away. And it was selfish of me to lead you on then. But after a few nights of you just holding onto me, something changed. I realized it was more than just getting sleep. I needed you. I never wanted to leave your side."

Peeta reaches for my face, and I think he's going to kiss me but he doesn't. Instead he just stares at me and says as if he were in pain,"Katniss, was the sex real or did you take advantage of me?"

"Peeta-"I sigh.

"Answer me, Katniss."

"It was both,"I whisper.

"Both,"he whispers not meeting my eyes.

"Peeta, the first night it was for comfort but the second one was need. I needed you like I need water."

"Katniss,"he says heartbroken,"I'm so sorry."

"What? Why are you sorry?"

"I took advantage of you. The first night you didn't want anything. I pressured you. I'm sorry."

"Peeta, you did not pressure me! You did not take advantage of me,"I say. This boy truly is too good for this world.

He rests his forehead against mine and closes his eyes. I take this moment to look at every inch of his beautiful face before I lean in and kiss him. His lips are slow at first. He doesn't move, but then I place my fingers in his hair and he opens his mouth to mine. It reminds me of that night...

 _I lay in Peeta's bed waiting for him to get out of the shower. It's two days until we go back into that hell. I lay there staring at the door. I know what I have to do. I have to keep Peeta alive even if I die._

 _Peeta walks out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He blushes when he sees me and says,"I forgot my underwear."_

 _He walks over to the dresser which is right next to the bed. Then he takes his underwear and goes back into the bathroom. Then he comes back out in his pyjama bottoms._

 _He sits down next to me and places his hand on the side of my face. Then out of nowhere Peeta presses up against me and kisses me passionately. When he pulls away I ask,"what was that for?"_

 _"I don't know... We have one more day before the arena. I figured I should start living."_

 _Peeta leans in again but this time he lowers me to the bed. He continues to kiss me until I stop him,"Peeta, where are we going with this?"_

 _"Wherever you want this to go,"he says panting._

 _"Peeta, what is bringing this on?"_

 _"Katniss, I realized something. I haven't been living my life. I grew up living In fear of the capitol and in fear of my mom. I lived in fear of what would happen if I even talked to you. I just lived in fear. I didn't think I would survive the games and when I did I lived in fear of what would happen to your family if I didn't put on a show. And now that we're going back in and there's a small chance of us coming out again, I realized it's time I stopped living in fear and acted on it. And quite honestly, I could die a happy man, if I just have one special night with you."_

 _"Peeta, can I ask you an important question?"_

 _"Of course,"he says._

 _"Are you a virgin?"_

 _He chuckles and blushes. Oh no, he's not! I feel dumb._

 _"I didn't want to admit this, but yeah... I'm a virgin."_

 _This makes me smile. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my chest._

 _He looks down and I move a curl from his face. Then I lean in and kiss him. I need him._

 _He smiles, then starts to kiss my neck._

 _I start to get nervous. His hand moves under my shirt and slowly pulls it up. He bites my neck and I reach for his pants. I'm nervous but I know that this will change everything. It will make the terror fade away just for a second._

 _"Katniss, are you sure?"_

 _I nod, not trusting my voice._

 _He removes my underwear and looks back at me._

 _"It's going to hurt,"he says._

 _"It's okay,"I whisper._

 _He slowly pushes into me and he's right. I feel like I'm being ripped apart. Peeta's eyes roll back and his jaw goes slack._

 _He presses his forehead against mine and pants against me. "Peeta,"I grunt._

 _"Oh God, Katniss,"he moans._

 _He doesn't last very long. Before I know it, he's pulling out and coming on my stomach. He collapses right next to me, and pants as he starts to relax. "Thank you,"he says,"you don't know how long I've wanted to do that."_

 _I brush his sweaty hair from his face._

 _"Let me clean you,"he says tiredly._

 _"It's okay, you look tired,"I say._

 _He closes his eyes and I smile at his beautiful face._

 _This was not what I expected at all. It was painful but it somewhat got better. I hope it gets better._

 _After cleaning up I climb back into bed with Peeta. He's snoring. I haven't heard him snore in a long time. It's probably the most sleep he'll get in a while._

I roll Peeta over so I'm on top of him. He moans into my mouth. We freeze when we hear someone clear their throat. I look up to see Hayden and Aspen standing there.

"We'll take watch now. You don't really seem like you're watching anything anyways,"Hayden says. I think she's jealous. Not that I blame her.

I roll off of Peeta but he holds me close to him. He kisses my forehead and holds me to him. Right as I'm about to fall asleep I hear him whisper,"I love you, Katniss."


	7. Chapter 7

Katniss pov

We're somewhere between district 8 and district 9. We're running low on supplies so district 9 will be a good place to stop. It's the district of grain. And it's an outlining district, so the security there isn't very good.

Peeta and I go first. We stand by the fence, hidden by the trees. I listen to the fence to see if it's on. It is. I don't think we'll be able to get in this way. On the other side is wheat fields. The wheat is very tall. Tall enough to conceal us as we walk through it.

100 yards away from us is a road. It's one of the transportation routes for supplies. If we can get in to one of those trucks, we'd have a way in and out. And a ride to district only problem is, how are we going to get on that truck without being seen?

They listen to me as I explain my plan. Peeta looks at me uneasy. "It's risky,"he says.

"It will make a huge difference."Hayden says.

"Okay,"Aspen says,"I'm for it."

"Me too." Blake says, agreeing with his friend.

"There's a checkpoint 5 miles before the entrance. If we can sneak onto those trucks as they're leaving the checkpoint, we're clear."

"What do you have in mind?" Peeta asks me.

"We climb up the trees and jump as the truck comes by. There's a latch on the top where we can enter."

"That's a great plan!" Aspen and Hayden say. But as I look at Peeta, he looks uneasy.

"What is it?" I ask him .

"Katniss, I can't climb trees because of my leg."

Oh no. I forgot about his leg. "We'll think of something, " I say.

"We could stop the truck,"Black says.

"But how?" Aspen asks.

"Get me on it. I can stop and start it with a few wires."He says.

"Okay. If you think it will work."

"Trust me."He says.

Trust is a weird word. The only person here I truly trust is Peeta. I trust him with my body and my soul. But then there's trust in the games. And that's what this is, we're still in the games.

I'll trust him as much as survival goes.

And that means keeping Peeta alive. This is going to help him.

"Okay,"I say.

* * *

Night comes and we wait for the truck to make its round. Hayden, Blake, and I hide up in the tree that hangs over the road while Peeta and Aspen hide in the bushes. The sound of an engine alerts us to the truck.

Peeta and Aspen throw large rocks in the road right before they pass under us. When we land on the truck they won't be as alarmed because the whole load will shake when it rolls over the rocks.

Blake pulls out a rope from his bag and ties it around his waist. He hands us the other end and tells us to hold on tight. He starts to climb down the side of the truck and underneath. Hayden and I do everything we can to not let go of the rope.

The truck starts to slow down.

It comes to a stop and Peeta and Aspen are running down the road. Peeta unlatches the back door and climbs in with Aspen. We tug on the rope as an okay signal and in seconds the car is going again.

Blake starts his climb up, but as he's pulling himself from underneath, the rope slips from Hayden's hands and I fall forward. Hayden throws herself on my legs, holding me from falling off.

"Katniss, let go of the rope. Pull yourself up. I have something to hold onto. So I do and I reach for Hayden's hand which helps pull me up.

"Thank you,"I say to her as we pant.

"No problem. I wasn't going to let you fall."

We nod to each other before climbing down with the guys.

The truck is filled with boxes. Peeta sits in the far corner, so I climb back there with him. I'm still shaky from almost falling off the truck. My heart is pounding and my whole body shakes. But I'm glad he didn't see it.

"Katniss?" He looks at me worried, but I just curl up in bis lap and allow his heartbeat to calm mine. "Don't let go,"I whisper to him.

"I won't."

And he doesn't.

After a while he asks,"what happened?"

"I almost fell off. I would have if it weren't for Hayden."

He holds me tighter but I notice him wince. "Your leg?"

"I haven't been taking it off,"he says looking guilty,"I didn't want to take it off just in case we had to run."

"Well I think it's safe to now." I climb off of his lap and lean down in front of him. I unclasp his leg and place my hands on his stub. I massage his irritated leg and he leans back and moans softly.

I press a soft kiss to his leg.

I smile at him and continue to massage his leg.

After a few minutes we hear snoring which makes me smile. I think we could all use some rest. So I crawl up on the box with Peeta and curl up to him. He wraps his arms around me and presses a kiss to my cheek.

I lay my head against his chest and he strokes my hair. Eventually we fall into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

I wake up to the shaking of the truck. It's dark in the truck, so it must still be night. I don't see any light seeping through the cracks. I stand up carefully so I don't wake up Peeta or the others and make my way through the boxes. I carefully open the door and peer out. The moon is still high in the sky but there's a hint of light coming from the east.

It's probably about 4:30.

I hear the sounds of cows mooing coming from my right. We're probably close to district 10, which means we should start hiding. They'll be loading up the truck soon. I wake the others up and say,"guys, we're in 10. Time to get these boxes open."


	8. Chapter 8

Katniss pov

We open the crates so we can hide in them. I help the others in and close it for them. Then Peeta walks over to me and places both hands on my face. He pulls me in for a passionate kiss. We both know this is risky.

"I'll see you on the other side." This reminds me of the midnight tree, where we got separated. I'm lucky I found him.

He dips me down as he kisses me, his hand around my waist pulls me closer to him. He lowers me down on the crate that is mine. He bites my lip and places a hand on my thigh. I moan softly against his mouth and he slowly pulls away.

"We have to stop,"he whispers. I know he's right.

He helps me into the crate and kisses me one last time.

"See you on the other side."I say.

The crate is dark. Cold.

"Peeta?" I whisper.

"Katniss?" He whispers back.

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm okay." He whispers.

15 minutes pass, when we hear the back of the truck open. The sound of guards speaking makes me tense. They lift us up and soon we are on what feels like another truck.

After that we stop. I hear the sound of voices getting fainter as they walk away from us. We wait a while until it's safe to get out. I peak out first. The coast is clear. I step out and whisper,"Peeta!"

I check the crates right next to me, but no one is near me. That's when I start to panic. I'm in a warehouse filled with boxes. I run around whispering his name. I turn the corner and run into something solid.

Arms wrap around me as Peeta holds me to him. "I thought I lost you."

"Me-"

"We found some castaways!"We hear. Guards run in through the door but they don't come our way. Peeta and I duck down behind some boxes and peek through. We watch in horror as they pull out Hayden, Blake, and Aspen.

One of the peacekeepers pulls out a gun and I choke back a sob. Peeta covers my mouth and holds me tightly as they shot them, one by one.

"We need to get out of here,"he whispers, helping me up. The guards are too distracted to notice us as we slip out the back. When we're far enough, Peeta and I collapse against a tree.

I sob against his chest.

Tears stream down his face too as he holds me.

"They're gone."

"They sacrificed themselves."

"What do you mean?"I ask confused.

"When you were near my crate, guards started coming in. You were distracted, but I'm sure they were suspicious. I watched as they peaked through and saw the guard coming near you. All of them got out of the crate. They sacrificed themselves."

"For us."

We walk for hours in silence. I feel like my legs are going to collapse. Peeta practically drags me for a mile. He freezes which causes me to actually look where we are. In the distance, we spot what looks to be an abandoned house.

It's getting dark, but it's midday.

"Looks like a storm." Peeta comments.

"We should get to that house,"I say.

It starts raining about half a mile away from the house. By the time we get to it, we're soaked. Peeta and I stumble into the home. There are cracks in the wall but the roof seems sturdy.

It's a mess inside. But it will do.

Peeta gathers up some scraps of fire and some chunks of wood that fell from the roof. He attempts to start a fire as I search for a place to sleep. There's a bed but the springs are coming out of it. It would cut us.

I find some cushions on the floor that belong on the couch. When I'm done, Peeta has a fire going. I shiver and he notices. "We're soaked,"I say.

"We should dry our clothes off." He says.

I start to strip down to just my underwear. Peeta does the same and then pulls out a blanket from his bag. He tries to avoid looking t my body as he wraps it around us. We sit by the fire in silence.

Peeta tenses as I wrap my arms around him and press my breasts up against his back. He places his hand on my thigh and leans his head back so I can kiss him. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"You won't."

He shifts so that he's facing me. I straddle his lap and wrap my arms around him. He places his hands on my lower back as he kisses me. Thunder cracks making me jump. Peeta keeps kissing me. I bite his lower lip as I rub against his hard length.

He grips me tighter and buries his face in my neck. I kiss his forehead, then ear, and make my way down to his neck. He moves to kiss my collarbone, his hands on my hip.

"Katniss, if you want me to stop-" he whispers in my ear.

I shake my head. "Please don't."

His callous hands caress my breasts, warming them instantly. I rise up on my knees, his hands moving to cup my backside. "You're so beautiful."

"I'm falling for you." I whisper.

"You've had my heart for a long time."

He lays me back against the floor and slowly slips off my underwear along with his own. I bite my lip in anticipation as his hands ghost across my folds. Wet heat puddles at my core. I've never felt his way for anyone.

He inserts one finger and then two making me moan as my hips start to move with each thrust of his hands. He presses a kiss across the plains of my stomach. I moan his name, giving him a huge smile.

I feel as if something is about to snap. My legs quake as I suck in air. Peeta leans in and kisses my lips, swallowing my moans.

"So perfect."

My hand reaches out to grab his length. He throws his head back and moans my name. He's quite large and I'm not sure bow he'll fit.

"And you're sure?" He says. I nod."Okay, but it's going to hurt a little."

He lines up his tip with my entrance and slowly pushes in. It does hurt and I have to adjust to his girth. But soon he is slowly moving his hips and it starts to feel good. He holds onto my hips as he pulls out and pushes back in.

"Harder,"I moan.

Peeta bites my neck and thrusts harder.

"Peeta!"

"Oh God, Katniss,"he says,"I don't think I can last for much longer."

My nails rake down his back as I moan louder. He reaches around to grab my butt and pulls me close as he pushes deeply into me. He twitches and I feel his seed shoot deeply into me as he collapses on top of me.

I caress his sweaty body and hold him closely as I listen t o his heart.

"Katniss, you love me, real or not real?"

"Real, Peeta."


	9. Chapter 9

Katniss Pov

I wake curled up to Peeta's side. I don't want to move. He's so warm and I feel so safe in his arms. The memories from last night make me blush as I remember them. I think back to the train. Our first time. I thought that was goodbye.

But here I lay, with Peeta right next to me. He stirs in his sleep and I close my eyes, pretending to be asleep. However I'm a bad actress.

"Katniss,"he says. I can hear the smile in his voice. I slowly open my eyes. The fire has gone out and I realize how cold it's gotten. I scoot closer to Peeta as he wraps a blanket around us. It doesn't do much, considering there's some tears in it, but at least it's something.

Peeta pulls me into his lap and wraps his arms around me, almost as if reminding him I'm real.

"Nightmare?" I ask.

He nods but says,"I'm fine, as long as I can wake up and know that you're here."

He leans in and kisses me. I smile and pull him closer. My stomach growls which makes him chuckle. "I guess we should get up and look for food."

I reach for my clothes and slip them on. Peeta does the same and then looks out the broken window. "It's raining."

I pick up my bow and walk out into the rain. "Don't you want to wait till it clears up?" Peeta asks from the building.

I shake my head. "I'm hungry."

He looks unsure but runs after me. I point to some berries and say,"those are raspberries. They aren't poisonous. Go ahead and pick some."

Peeta nods.

I go a little farther in, hoping to find some wildlife. But something feels off. As I walk, I feel as if I'm being watched. A bird flies out from the tree and I miss it.

My head starts to spin and I find it hard to focus. The only think I can focus on is the noise. It hums. It's loud. And it throws me off.

I fall to the floor. My body burns. I scream but nothing comes out of my throat. The world spins as I force myself up. I stumble a few times.

I try to keep myself focused on getting out of there. I can see the building. My vision is blurred and everything gets darker. I'm just about there, when I fall and blackout.

 _"Katniss, wake up."_

The first thing I see are his eyes. He looks worried. "Oh thank God!"

"Peeta? What happened?"

"Tracker Jackers."

"But I've been stung before and it wasn't like that."

"They've evolved. I got stung twice trying to pull you out, and instead of a hallucination like last time, my whole body burned. It felt like the fog."

Peeta looks extremely worried but relieved at the same time. "I'm okay, Peeta. Don't look so worried. I've only been out for a few hours."

"I wish." He says.

I sit up and look at him. He looks fine. "How long have I been out?"

"A week,"he says,"you would get up to throw up and then pass out again."

I try to stand up but almost fall over. Peeta catches me ,"whoa, slow down." I fall into his arms and he holds me.

"I need to sit."

Peeta leads me over to the counter and lifts me up on it. I lean forward still feeling a little dizzy. He kisses my cheek and rests his head on my shoulder as he stands between my legs.

He hands me a bucket filled with water. I scoop water with my hands and splash it in my face. Then I drink a little bit.

"I found a lake a mile down. We can go wash up."

"That sounds nice," I say.

Peeta helps me off and leads me to the lake. I dip my hand in. The water is a little cold, but bearable. I start to take off my clothes and Peeta does the same. I sink down into the dirt and rest my head against the rock. Peeta looks afraid as he follows me.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know how to swim."

"I doubt it goes very deep. Just stay close to the edge."

Peeta slowly walks in, his prosthetic sinking a little farther into the mud than his real foot.

The cold water feels nice on my stings. Peeta sits down next to me and pulls me into his arms. We rest for a long time.

My body feels so weak from the stings and all the time I've thrown up. I need to get some food in me. I'm sure Peeta is probably hungry too, he's been living off nuts and a few berries all week.

I stand and say,"I need to hunt."

Peeta grabs my arm and says,"no, you need to rest."

"I've been resting for a week!" I know that he's right, but the thought of Peeta starving makes me force myself against my body which is screaming with every second I stay standing.

"Then I'm going with you."

"No. You're too loud." I say angrily.

"I'm not leaving you. Not again!"

We freeze. His words ringing true in my ears. Every time we were separated, something bad happened. The tree, the truck, the warehouse, hunting. He's right. We shouldn't separate, because it might be the last time we see each other.

I walk forward from my defensive posture and wrap my arms around his waist. His arms wrap around my back as if I'll disappear if he doesn't hold me tight. "I thought I lost you, Katniss. I've been terrified all week. Afraid that one day I would wake up, and you wouldn't be breathing."

I look up from his bare chest to his face and find tear slipping out of his eyes. I wipe them and go on my tippy toes to kiss his lips.

Peeta's hands snake down to my thighs and lift me up against the rock I was leaning on earlier. My body aches, but the fire from the kiss ignites me. His lips move to my jaw, and then to my neck. He continues to my shoulder and then my bare chest.

Then his hands ghost over me as if I'm not real. I let out a soft sigh as he leans in to take a nipple into his mouth.

I close my eyes and imagine that I'm home, in my woods, at my lake. I can imagine Peeta and I making love on the banks on my lake. I can even imagine a life with him. Peeta teaching me how to bake, me teaching him to swim.

He moves down my body even more, his face inching closer and closer to my core.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

I can feel his hot breath as he speaks,"I want to make you feel good."

My breath hitches as his face dives in and his lips are on my clit. I fist my hand in his hair and try to stifle a moan.

His tongue slips out from his mouth and into me, penetrating me. I nearly collapse.

"Peeta!"I gasp.

He moans into me, sending vibrations straight through me. I tug at his hair and pull him up to face me. His lips taste like me. It's an interesting experience. My hand reaches between us to grab his member.

He shakes his head,"this is about you. Not me."

"I want to make you feel good too," I say.

"Making you moan is enough for me,"he says. But I push until he gives in. Peeta slowly pushes into me and I cling to him when he comes inside of me.

Peeta kisses my forehead and the slowly drifts off to sleep. I know he doesn't want me hunting but I doubt he's had a lot to eat. I also doubt that's he's slept this whole week. So I kiss his forehead and then put on clothes.

I take off in the direction we came from because I know there's no trackerjackers that way. I try to hurt as fast as I can because I know Peeta will freak if he wakes up and I'm not there. But I plan on him sleeping for a while.

He won't be happy, but we need food.

I come back with two birds and a few berries. Peeta is still asleep. Good. I make a fire and cook up the birds. Then I walk over to Peeta who is snoring softly. I run my fingers through his hair. His eyes flutter open and I smile at him.

"Hey there sleepyhead."

"Have I been sleeping all day?"

"Yep,"I say,"but I'm happy you did. You need it."

"Did you catch something?" He asks sniffing the air.

"Two birds."

"Did you go into the forest?"

I'm quiet. He signs but I know he knows we needed it. That night we curl up next to each other and I start to imagine a life out here.


	10. 10

Katniss pov

Peeta and I sit down together and eat our cooked birds. I don't have much of an appetite so I give Peeta the rest and lean on him.

"Hey you need to eat,"he says.

"I really can't,"I tell him.

He sighs and wraps an arm around me. I close my eyes and imagine us together. "Peeta,"I say,"what if we just ran away. Instead of going home, what if we stayed out here and made a life."

"I've thought about it."He says.

"Then let's do it."

"What?" He looks surprised.

"Why not? I mean it would be safer for Prim. If Snow thought I was dead, he would leave my family alone."

"But what about the rebellion and Haymitch-"

"I'm sure they've been doing fine without us."

Peeta nods. "Okay...lets do it. We'll live out here. Just you and me." He smiles and looks away shaking his head.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing..."

"What is it Peeta?"

"It's just- I never thought this would happen."

"What do you mean?" I ask him confused.

"I always thought about someday going up to you and confessing my love. Then running away with you into the woods and creating a life together."

"I always thought about running away. But my family was always too important. They relied too much on me. But they're safe now. I know Haymitch won't eat anything happen to them. And I'm sure they're safe in thirteen."

Peeta kisses my cheek and says,"they'll miss you-"

"They'll be safer,"I say

"Okay then,"Peeta says,"we'll start a life out here."

"What about your family?" I ask.

"You are my family." He says.

I smile at him and take his hand in mine. I'm not very good with words so I just lean against him and close my eyes.

He kisses me and brings me onto his lap. I wrap my arms around him and tighten my legs around his waist. He kisses my neck and wraps his arms around my waist pulling me close enough to feel his want for me.

"Mmm,"I moan in his ear.

He slowly lays me against our makeshift bed and starts to undress me. I run my fingers through his hair.

He runs his hands over my breasts and down my hips. I moan as he slowly enters me. Peeta continues to kiss me as he thrusts into me. I moan his name as he grips my hips.

Then when he comes, he whispers in my ear. "I love you, Katniss."

I'm not sure what to say to that so instead I run my hands through his sweaty hair and being his face to mine.

He lays down next to me and pulls me into his arms. "Tomorrow we'll turn this place into a home."

When I wake up, Peeta isn't near me. I freak and scream his name. He comes running in from the other room with only his underwear on.

"What's wrong?"he says worried.

"Nothing. I just got scared because you weren't here."

"I was just trying to fix up the bathroom." He says

I look at him as all my emotions hit me at once. I'm not usually a cryer but this morning I do. Peeta rushes towards me and wraps me in his arms.

"I'm sorry,"he says.

"Peeta please don't leave me."

I keep getting flashbacks from out first games and I hold on tighter.

"Never."

He kisses my neck then presses his forehead to mine,"I'll follow you wherever."

"Always."

Then he separates. "Come with me,"he says. I follow him into the other room. All the debris and trash has been cleared out.

He's started to make it look somewhat clean. Behind what was debris, is a mirror that only has a few cracks.

There's a tub that has some dirt and is a little chipped but with a bit of water it will be fine. And a toilet that doesn't have a top lid. Honestly it's not that much different from my seam home.

"It looks really nice," I say with a smile.

"In a few days I should hopefully have some water going through the pipes. I had an A in physics and mechanics."

I run my fingers over his chest and smile,"you're so sweaty, and shirtless."

He smiles and says,"as much as I want you right now, I want to stay focused and get things done. Then tonight I'm all yours."

"Okay," I say,"let me see if I can find anything for breakfast."

"Okay,"he says,"don't go far."

I roll my eyes but I guess I can't blame him, I was the one crying because he wasn't with me this morning. I step into the forest with my bow in hand.

First I shoot a few birds and then I found some roots to bring back. Peeta has moved out most of the debris and separated it into piles of wood, junk, and things that can be fixed.

Peeta and I cook up a meal and after I help him with some of the wood. But I find myself feeling tired and woozy. I have to sit.

"Hey are you okay?"Peeta asks.

"I feel lightheaded...and tired."I say sitting,"and I need to sit down."

I almost fall over as I lose my balance, but Peeta catches me.

"Peeta,"I say,"I don't feel right."

"Whoa, I got you,"he says that as he pulls me into his arms more. Everything is spinning. Or maybe I am? I don't know.

I blink several times as I fight the spinning. But my attempts are useless. I fall to the ground and clutch my stomach as I throw up.

Peeta places his hand on my back as the other one rubs my arm. He kisses my temple and whispers sweet nothings in my ear.

After I lay in his as he holds me. I shake and try to push myself up from him, but my limbs are weak and his hold is strong.

"Just relax." I look up in his eyes and I see something. Peeta is planning something he doesn't want me to know.


	11. 11

Katniss Pov

I look at Peeta as holds me. His eyes are close so I take the time to study his face. I know he has something planned but I don't know what it is. Normally I can see right through him, but today...it's all a mystery.

He opens his eyes and looks down at me. His blue eyes are beautiful. He smiles at me. "Hey beautiful."

I smile at him and lean into his grasp.

"How are you feeling?" He asks me as he runs his hands over my face and down my neck and around my waist.

"Like I've been hit by a truck."

He pulls me up with him and leads me inside where he helps me to a bench. "When did you make this?" I ask.

"I didn't. I found it. It's in the basement."

"Basement?"

"Yeah! I found a basement, it's really well hidden. I was lucky to have found it."

"That's perfect. It's safe."

He looks at me confused but then realizes my meaning. "If someone were to come looking..."

I nod.

"I've made some progress. Mostly the bedroom. I can't get the water to flow yet but I have an idea for it."

"Can I help?" I ask standing up.

"Maybe you should lay down-"

"No I want to help."

"I really think you should-"

But I'm already up and moving things around. I never thought that this would be my first home made with Peeta. When I was younger I never thought that I would move. Part of me thought that maybe Gale and I would marry for convenience and then build a house in the Seam.

But I never thought that I would be living in the middle of the forest with Peeta building a house. He smiles at me .

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing. You just look beautiful."

I smile at him. Peeta continues to fix furniture as I move out some smaller debris. I stop and put my hands on my hip as I pant.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, just tired."

"Come sit on this mattress." He says patting it. It's cleared off enough for us to fit on it. It's not as beat up as we thought.

I lay down and relax against the soft cushion. It's not as soft as the one in the victors village but it's better than the seam.

Peeta pulls me into his arms and I rest my head against his chest. My body aches and I feel like I'm burning but not in the needy kind of way.

Peeta pulls back for a second and looks at me worried. "Are you okay? You feel hot."

"It's probably just a little fever. I've had one almost every winter, I'll be okay."

"Let me take care of you," he says placing his hand on my forehead. "You're burning up."

"I'll be okay."

"Let me take care of you,"he repeats.

"Fine." I say and let him wrap his arms around me, placing his head on my shoulder.

He kisses my neck and pulls me closer. I fall asleep and eventually wake to the noise of Peeta walking. I feel tired still. So I close my eyes and try to sleep. When I wake up again, I realize that I have been moved. I smell a rabbit cooking.

I sit up and realize that I'm in a room, not in the middle of the living room where we've been sleeping. Did Peeta really move me this much without waking me? I walk through a few hallways to what use to be the kitchen. Inside Peeta has fixed the wood burning stove and is cooking a rabbit.

"Peeta, you did all this?"

"Yeah, I was always good with my hands. Do you like the room? I thought that would be the best master bedroom until I can fix those stairs. Oh and I checked your traps. I hope you don't mind."

"No...no, I'm hungry and wow it's beautiful Peeta."

"I'm glad you like it."

He wraps an arm around me and says,"it's a little cold, I figured tonight we could light the fire, get a few blankets and snuggle by the fire. Eat some cooked rabbit."

"That sounds good,"I say.

"Good because it's almost done."

"Good I'm starving."

I grab the blankets that I can find and start the fire. By the time I'm done, Peeta is walking in with dinner. He sets it down and grabs me by the waist. He wraps the blanket around our shoulders and then grabs the plate with the cooked rabbit.

He feeds me pieces of the rabbit. I moan in delight. I feed him pieces. He smiles at me. Then blushes.

"What are you thinking about?" I ask, staring into his eyes.

He shakes his head,"I shouldn't say..."

"Peeta-"I say a little irritated.

"I was thinking about how we could do our toasting. You, me, this fire and some bread. I was thinking about how I love you and how I want to hold you in front of the fire. But I don't want to scare you or force you into anything."

"Peeta, I've already agreed to make a life with you out here. You're not going to scare me away. Honestly I figured this would happen someday. I guess I kind of figured that since we lived out here together that we would eventually get married. But I didn't think it would happen so soon."

"I don't want to pressure you. Like I said, I was just thinking."

"What brought this on?"

"I found stale bread and supplies to make bread. And I started thinking about a toasting."

I close my eyes and take a moment. If things were different we would probably get married after the war, but not right after. It would probably take me a few years before I came around to the idea. We would have a toasting with all our friends and family. Then we'd live together happily.

I can live together happily with him here. No war to worry about. Just us. Our life.

"Let's do it."

"What?" He looks at me worried.

"Let's do it."

"Have a toasting?"

"Yes. Why not? We're here to make a life for ourselves. It's going to happen eventually. Why not now."

I open my eyes to find tears in his eyes.

"Peeta?"

"I'm sorry, it's just, I've thought about this day since I first saw you."

"I love you."

He leans in and kisses me hard. "I love you."

"Should I get the bread-"

I shush him with my mouth. "We don't need the bread,"then I wrap my arms around him and pull him on top of me.


	12. 12

Katniss pov

I wake up to Peeta's arms wrapped tightly around me. We're married... I'm married to Peeta Mellark. Katniss Mellark. Sounds...weird. I mean it's nice, it's just a weird feeling.

I'm no longer Katniss Everdeen. Everything I grew up planning my future or at least what I thought my future was going to be is gone. I'm not the same person anymore. I haven't been since my first games. Since the first time I kissed Peeta. Since the train. Since the first time he held me. The first time we cried together. The first time.

I feel his lips on my shoulder. His hands on my hips as he rolls me over to kiss my face and my neck. "I love you,"He says to me.

"I love you too."

Peeta slowly moves over me, his hands landing by my head like a cage. He slowly dips his head down to kiss me.

I run my fingers up his chest and into his hair and wrap my legs around his hips.

"Beautiful," he whisperers into my neck. I moan into his hair as he slowly enters me.

Our hips meet as he thrusts into me. I suck on his neck to quiet my moans. But that's when I hear something. Noise coming from outside.

"Peeta."I say sternly.

"Mmm... Katniss,"He says.

"No, Peeta!" I say pushing him on the chest. "There's something out there. I hear It."

"What?"

I slip out from underneath him and wrap the blanket around me. I reach for my bow. Peeta sits up in protest but I'm already peaking out the window. I'm faced with the biggest wolf I have ever seen.

I've seen wolves before. But this is no normal wolf. It's a mutt. It has two tails and teeth that are two times bigger.

"Peeta, stay right there."

"What is It?" He says.

"A mutt. Do not move Peeta. You're too loud,"I whisper.

"Katniss, please be careful."

I draw back my arrow and aim for the eye through the broken window. It's about 20 feet out. I close one eye and aim.

Then I let It fly.

Right into the eye. Except It doesn't drop like I expect It to. It starts running this direction. I quickly reach for another arrow and send It flying into the other eye. It slows but It doesn't drop. It's still running.

I reach for another but I don't have anymore. It runs to the window and breaks through. I fly back and hit the ground. My arm is cut. Peeta grabs a piece of wood and quickly hits It as hard as he can. Finally It falls, but not before It can cut Peeta on the chest with its claws.

Peeta drops to his knees to make sure it's dead. "Its dead,"He says. He grabs It by the back paws and starts to drag It out the door. When he comes back. He has my two arrows. He drops them on the floor and then comes to me.

"Are you okay?"he asks. He places his hand bellow my cut.

"Are you okay?! You just slapped that mutt with a wooden plank and you're cut on your chest."

He just dismisses It and continues to look at me in worry. "I'm fine,"I tell him.

"I found some bandage when I was looking around. Let me get It." He says running into the other room. When he comes back he has bandages. He wraps one around my arm.

I grab It from him and bandage his chest. "You looked incredibly hot taking on that mutt." I say to him.

"You looked beautiful as you shot that arrow. The sun glowed around you and your blanket fell to the floor. You looked like a goddess."

He leans in and kisses me. "You're beautiful."

I gently run my hand underneath his cut up chest. "Maybe you should lay down. Relax a little." I say.

"I'm perfectly fine,"He says,"I promise you, Mrs Mellark."

I blush and look down at the mention of my new name.

"It fits you. You know, since I first saw you, I was in love with you. I used to dream about you having my name. I would always tell myself that each day was the day I would confess my love for you."

"You're incredibly handsome." I say. "But I'm glad you waited. Peeta I never thought I would marry anyone. Hell two years ago if you asked me if I was going to get married I would have told you no. I never was going to get married. But you changed everything."

"You're incredible."

"What?"

"You're the most incredible person I've ever known. So independent and focused. Selfless, beautiful, and brave."

"Oh Peeta!" I say, and I'm crying except I don't even know why I'm crying. What he said was beautiful but I'm not a cryer. I never have been.

He wipes my tears and says,"hey, don't cry..."

"I'm sorry... i don't know why I'm crying."

"It's okay. "He says. "I love you whether you're laughing or crying."

Peeta pulls me into his arms and says,"now, I'd like to make love to you, Katniss Mellark."

"I'll allow It,"I say smiling as he pulls me to the bed. After, Peeta goes to working on the house and I cook breakfast for us.

Peeta seems to be fine but my mind is still uneasy from that experience. That was a mutt. It only could have come from the capitol. Unless It was a hybrid and It was born out here. Which raises more questions. And how did It get here? Why did It find us? And are there more?

But I decide to put my worries away for the moment and continue breakfast.


	13. 13

Katniss pov

I wake up feeling sick again. This is ridiculous! I have been sick for a few weeks now! I'm tired all the time. I feel bloated.

Peeta starts to kiss my neck but I don't feel well so I push him off of me. "What's wrong?" He asks concerned.

"I don't feel well, Peeta."

"You haven't felt well in a long time,"He says worried.

"Maybe we should keep looking for a way out. Katniss you could have something really serious, and well, I'm no doctor."

"I'm the daughter of district twelve's best apothecary. I'm sure I can figure it out. I didn't pay enough attention as Prim but I know my way around the herb rack."

"Are you sure?"

"I just have to think of all my symptoms; vomiting, nausea, bloating, tiredness, headache, swelling, mood swings."

"That sounds like..."Peeta starts and then stops.

"Could be a flu, or stomach bug...What?"I ask. He looks pale.

"Katniss,"He says slowly, like he's trying to reason with a crazy animal,"It kind of sounds like a-um-a"

"Spit it out!"

"You might be pregnant!"

Pregnant. I didn't even think about It. It just doesn't seem like a possibility. I've never thought about kids or even marriage.

I guess I am married now. I never wanted kids. Can this even be true?

"Katniss?" Peeta says getting my attention. I don't know how long I've been in thought. "Are you okay?"

"No. There has to be another explanation."

I wrack my brain for any other explanation but I can't come to one. My head hurts. And I'm suddenly aware of the weight of my body. Peeta catches me before I fall. His arms hold me and I cling to his chest.

I try to focus on something else. Anything. His blonde hair falls I to his face. It's getting long. His blue eyes look worried and his brows furrow together. He wipes a tear that I didn't even notice I had.

"That's It,"He says eerily calm,"we're going home."

"Peeta-"

"No,"he says letting go of me. "We need to get you away from here."

He turns away from and sits down on a rock outside. I watch him from the window. He doesn't look at me. He just stares off at the trees. He puts his head between his hands and leans down as if he were in pain.

I sigh and place my hand over my stomach, but I quickly move It away as if I'm shocked by an electric current.

It can't be ture.

Hours pass, and Peeta still sits there. I walk over to him but he says nothing. I place my hand on his shoulder and he doesn't move.

"Peeta..?"

He's silent.

I sigh and sit next to him. "Peeta, please talk to me."

He sighs. "Katniss... I-I don't know what to say."

No. He's supposed to be the boy with th golden tongue. The one who always knows what to say.

"Say that you love me."

"I'll always love you." He says.

"Now what's wrong?" I ask.

"Katniss...if you're pregnant... I'm sorry...and I will support you with whatever you decide. I know you never wanted to have any children."

"You think I'm going to do something to get rid of It?" I ask.

He's silent but nods.

I could never being myself to do that. Even if I don't want kids. After the hunger games, I've never wanted to kill another child.

"Peeta... I would never do that."

"But you don't want children."

"Doesn't mean I would kill ours. I could never do that."

He takes my hand in his and I lean my head on his shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you too."

He stands up and helps me up. "We need to find a way home."

"No. What if I am pregnant...we don't want to take a baby to the middle of a war."

"And if you're not, and you're really sick?"

"I guess that's just the risk we take."

He's silent. "Let's go inside." He says,"It looks like a storm is coming." He's right, I didn't notice It before. The clouds have grown darker and the wind has picked up. A second later, rain starts to pour down.

The wind picks up even more as Peeta and I run inside. He tries to block me from the wind as much as possible. When we get inside, I fall onto the mattress and Peeta lands right next to me. The wind is coming through the broken window. It's very strong.

He jumps up and runs to block the window. I run around closing all the other open windows and I grab the door. When everything is closed, Peeta and I start to light candles and grab blankets.

Peeta grabs me just as a plank falls from the roof. "This is a pretty strong storm."

I cling to Peeta as more debris falls.

He leads me to a door that I haven't seen before. It leads to an underground room. "I've been working on this. I found It when I cleared out the back room."

He leads me to an electrical board with buttons and lights. "I've been working on fixing this."

"What is It?"

"It's a communication board."

"What does D13 stand for?"

"District 13. This communicates to district 13. Someone undercover probably lived here."

"Does It work?"

"Only one way to know,"he says,"I've been fiddling with It but I'm not much of a mechanic."

Peeta turns It on but nothing happens. It sparks and then a light flickers. He holds down a button and a static noise comes on.

"Hello?" He calls out.

Nothing happens.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

"Maybe It doesn't work..."he says.

"Keep trying."I encourage him.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

There's a static noise and It sounds like someone is speaking but It's hard to make out.

"Hello?!" He says more frantically.

"-h-w-o-h-r-state-y-name-"it's hard to make out what they're saying.

"Is this district 13?"

I can just barely make out a yes.

Peeta starts to fiddle with the wires some more. I bend the antenna to get a better signal.

"-llo Hello?"A voice comes from the other end.

"Yes! Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Yes- my name is Beetea. I'm at district 13, who's there?"

"Beetea! It's Peeta, Peeta Mellark!"

"Peeta! We're been looking for you! Where are you?"

"We're-" then a static noise stops him. "Beetea?!"

We hear a voice but it's different and hard to understand. Peeta fiddles with It until It becomes clear.

"Hello Mr Mellark,"says a voice that gives me chills.

President Snow.


	14. 14

Katniss pov

"Hello Mr Mellark,"his cold voice comes on the radio.

I freeze and turn to Peeta.

"Snow." He says.

"Ah, Yes... I see you've survived. Everyone said you were dead but I knew not to underestimate you two. You are Victors of course, not by chance...well at least Katniss."

His words anger me. I shake in furry.

"He's stalling, turn It off!" I say.

"It's too late Ms Everdeen, my troops are on their way."

"You're bluffing."

"I thought we agreed not to lie to each other."

With that the connection cuts off.

Peeta triumphantly holds up the cord in his hand that he unplugged, but it's too late. They're on their way.

I quickly grab my bow and arrows. Peeta grabs every weapon he has. Maybe we're crazy for thinking we can fight them off. But we're crazy together.

He spins me towards him and grabs me by the waist. He crushes his mouth to mine. It's sloppy and quick but powerful.

"I love you."

"Always."

He grabs my hand and leads me to the broken staircase. He starts to build up enough so that we'd be able to pull ourselves up without getting hurt. He motions for me to go first. I can just barely reach the ledge. I swing my legs up and then pull myself into the landing.

"Okay Peeta, climb up!" I say holding out my hands.

He looks at me with worried eyes and says,"remember how much I love you." Then he kicks down makeshift ladder and takes off running. I can hear the hovercrafts landing outside.

"Peeta no!"

I look out the window and see him running as fast as he can with his fake leg. Several peacekeepers run after him.

Gunshots are fired.

My heart sinks as they carry his limp body into the hovercraft. I scream but they can't hear me. Another hovercraft lands. That's It. We're done for. I load my arrow ready to murder each and every person out there.

That's when I see a flash of red hair. Finnick? Then I see dark hair. Gale?

They rush out of the second hovercraft and fire at the peacekeepers. Haymitch runs towards the house.

I jump down, landing on my ankle and I fall to the ground. I try to push the pain back and stand up but it's hard. Haymitch runs in yelling my name.

"Over here!" I say.

He flies around the corner with a wild and worried expression on his face.

"Katniss! Let's get you out of here."

He helps me up and helps me limp to the hovercraft. "Peeta- they have Peeta!" I say.

"We'll do what we can. We'll get him okay?" He says.

"I need to ge-"

"You need to sit. You're not leaving my sight. " he says.

Finnick and Gale come running back into the hovercraft. "They took off." Finnick says sounding defeated.

"No!"I yell,"No you let them take Peeta!" I'm sobbing.

"Sweetheart, calm down."

I continue to sob as anger rises. I stand up and slap Haymitch,"you son of a bitch! You let them-"he grabs my wrist and I feel like a heavy weight is on me. They drugged me.

He slowly lets me fall onto the bench. "I love him." I don't know if the words make It out before I pass out.

The sounds of beeps and buzzing wakes me up.

"Katniss?" Prim's voice.

I open my eyes slowly. It's bright, but not in a natural way. In a hospital kind of way. "Where am I?"

"District 13."

"Peeta?" She shakes her head.

"I'm so sorry. The capitol has him, Johanna, and Annie. Brutus and Enobaria too."

"Prim, I need your help. But you're the only one I can trust."

She nods. "Anything you need."

"Prim, Peeta and I had a toasting-" her shouts of glee cut me off but I quickly place a hand over her mouth.

"Shhhh...don't let anyone know! Prim I'm really trusting you to not share my secret. Can you handle the next one?" She nods.

"Prim, you need to help me... I need you to run a test."

"What kind of test?"

"A pregnancy test."

"A-"I quickly clamp my hands over her mouth.

"Primrose listen to me." She looks at me with wide eyes. "I need to know if I'm pregnant. But no one can know."

"I'll see what I can do." She says.

She runs out the door, and I lay back against the bed rest, taking in my surroundings. I'm alone in a grey room. The walls, counters, and floor are all grey, as if something sucked the color out of them.

A knock on the door gets my attention. "Come in." I say. Haymitch pokes his head in.

"Go away,"I say sounding like a child.

"Sorry, Sweetheart we don't always get what we want." He walks in and stands by my bed.

"You look horrible." I say.

"I could say the same thing to you...they have a no alcohol policy here. I've been living off of coffee."

I just glare at him.

"Look, Katniss, I know you're angry with me. You don't think I wanted to save the boy too?! He's the only good one out of all of us! But you were my priority."

"You should have saved him." I say.

"Katniss, I had to save you."

"Why?! You should have let me be the one captured, Peeta deserves a chance to live."

"We'll get him, I promise."

"You have too. No matter what, Peeta walks out of this in the end. Whether I'm with him or not."

He sighs and then puts a hand on my shoulder. "I promise."

Prim comes running in saying,"I found It! It took a while but I finally found the pregna-HAYMITCH!"

"Primrose,"He says eyeing her suspiciously as she hides the test.

"Hey, Haymitch- how's It going?" She says trying to act nonchalant and failing miserably.

"Primrose, what's behind your back?"

"Nothing!"

"Primrose."

"I was just picking up something for a person...totally un related." She says nervously.

I cover my face because I can't watch this any longer. I hear a sigh of discontent which I'm assuming is Prim handing It over to Haymitch. So much for my secret.

"Katniss..."He says softly.

I don't look at him. I look straight. I show no emotion. He hands me the test. "You need to take It."

I take It from his hands and stare at It. Reluctantly, I climb out of the bed and walk over to the adjoining bathroom.

It takes a while for me to do it, but It finally happens. I walk over to Prim and ask,"how does this work?" The truth is, I've never seen one before. My mom could always tell just by feel, It was rare to come across enough money for a test.

"Well, you peed on It right?" I nod.

"Now we wait."

I sigh, "for how long?"

"Two minutes." She says.

I start to pace until Prim grabs my hand and says,"Katniss, sit." I reluctantly do as she says. These are the two longest minutes of my life. Finally Prim says,"you can look now."

I shake my head. I can't do It. I think I'm going to be sick. "I can't look." I say.

"Do you want me to do It for you?" She asks. I nod. I watch as she walks over to where the test is. It's as if she's in slow motion. Or maybe that's just the anticipation.

She hides her emotions well as she looks at It. Maybe it's just shock? Calmly she says,"it's positive."

"Positive,"I say slowly.

I close my eyes and the tears instantly fall. I'm having a baby... and Peeta is nowhere to be found. "Haymitch, you need to save Peeta."

"I'll do everything I can."He says. Prim gets paged and has to leave. Haymitch walks over and wraps his arms around me.

"I'm here for you, Sweetheart."


End file.
